Santa Tracker Marketplace
Over the years there have been a number of websites created by various organizations to track Santa Claus. Major Santa Tracker Players The major Santa Tracker players are: * NORAD Tracks Santa Program. As the first decade of the 21st century concludes, the NORAD Tracks Santa Program has become recognized as the "preeminent" and oldest (since December 24, 1955) Santa Tracking effort in the Santa Tracker marketplace. This is made possible by having an excellent service, that is well publicized world-wide, has and contunes to use leading edge technolgy, has devoted fans, and very supportive partners and corporate sponsors. Program]] * GLONASS Tracks Father Frost Project. At the moment, the major serious competition to the NORAD Tracks Santa program is from the Russian Federation’s GLONASS Tracks Father Frost Project, which started in 2009. Tracks Father Frost Project]] Other Santa Tracker Efforts Other Santa Tracker efforts present and past include: * Airservices Australia’s Tracks Santa Project. During Mid-December thru a Christmas Day from the year 2005 to the present, the Airservices Australia has hosted a Santa tracker at a webpage similar to http://mirror.airservicesaustralia.com/santa10/santa.asp. Tracks Santa Project]]. * The MSNBC and Bing Maps Platform Tracks Santa Project. After the successful displacement of America Online and Microsoft Virtual Earth (now named the Bing Maps Platform) by the Google and Booz Allen Hamilton alliance in 2007, MSNBC and Microsoft’s Bing Maps Platform) got together in 2008 to provide a Christmas Eve Santa Claus tracker in 3-D. On Christmas Eve from the year 2008 to the present, the MSNBC and Bing Maps Platform Tracks Santa Project hosts a Santa tracker. For Christmas Eve 2010, the Santa Tracker is at this webpage of http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/40538562. On Christmas Eve 2009, the Santa Tracker was at this webpage of http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/34211032/ns/today-holiday_guide/. and Bing Maps Platform Tracks Santa Project]]. * Santa Speaking Project. On Christmas Eve from the year 2004 to the present, the Santa Speaking Project hosts a Santa tracker at this webpage of http://www.santaspeaking.com/TrackSanta.aspx. This Santa tracker has all kinds of interesting features. One can view Santa‘s flight plan and track how much milk and how many cookies Santa has consumed. It tells you how many houses he has visited and has a stamina radar. The greatest thing about this tracker is the "Closeness O'Meter" informing one how close Santa is to one’s house so that one can get to bed in time. * Santa Update Project. On Christmas Eve from the year 1991 for the project and using the current website from 2002 to the present, the Santa Update Project hosts a Santa tracker at this webpage of http://www.santaupdate.com/update.php. This Santa tracker provides periodic news feeds associated with Santa. * Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport’s Tracks Santa Project. On Christmas Eve from the year 2000 to 2009, the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport hosted a Santa tracker at this webpage of http://www.dfwairport.com/santatracker/. http://web.archive.org/web/20031224140322/www.dfwairport.com/santatracker/ Tracks Santa Project]]. * NASA Tracks Santa Project. During December from 1999 thru 2008, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center would host a basic Santa tracker at this webpage of http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/home/seasonal/SantaTrack.html as a Java applet with comments at the bottom of the applet display. Tracks Santa Project]]. * Keyhole Santa Radar. During December from 2004 thru 2006, Google used "Keyhole Earth Viewer" (and later Google Earth) to track Santa Claus on his Christmas Eve journey. In December 2004, Keyhole Santa Radar had an audience of 25,000. In December 2005, the audience had grown to 250,000. In December 2006, Google incorporated a tracking feed directly from NORAD's headquarters, and Keyhole Santa Radar was then displaying NORAD's Santa Claus tracking information in Google Earth, resulting in an audience of more than a million people tracking Santa Claus using Keyhole Santa Radar. In 2007, the Google and Booz Allen Hamilton alliance displaced America Online as the primary partners and co-sponsors of the NORAD Tracks Santa Program and a separate Keyhole Santa Radar effort was no longer needed. * Santa Retro Radar – Lehigh Valley Project. From 1997 thru 2009, Frank and Debi DeFreitas hosted a Santa tracker at this webpage of http://www.holoworld.com/santa/. http://web.archive.org/web/20051226043858/holoworld.com/santa/index.html Retro Radar – Lehigh Valley Project.]] 6bBThclGCEw AT&T U-verse TV Santa Tracker Demo. Link to full size video * AT&T U-verse TV Santa Tracker App. From 2009 to the present, the convergence of telephony, TV, and the internet is an opportunity for AT&T to provide an integrated and interactive Santa tracker application offering during December and on Christmas Eve to include news from the Santa News Network (SNN) on AT&T U-verse channel 98. U-verse TV customers can interact with Santa and the North Pole in a number of ways, including: 1) Vote in the "Naughty or Nice" poll, 2) Play sing-a-longs and read-a-longs for popular holiday music and stories,3) Listen to holiday songs on "Rudolph Radio", 4) Play holiday games presented by Discovery.com/Toys, and 5) Watch real-time reports from the Santa News Network to see if Santa has left the North Pole and track his sleigh as he travels around the globe. TV Santa Tracker Project.]] Impact of Santa Tracker Efforts In addition to providing great holiday-themed enetrtainment during December for children and the young at heart, Santa Tracking and the underlying technologies used in Santa Tracking, such as radar, satellites, video cameras and jet fighter aircraft, which were orginally developed for the space program, inspire children around the world to think about how space technology and exploration play an increasingly important role in ones daily life. Also, children can learn about tracking technology and science concepts that can inspire them to dream higher than the stars for their own future. Studies show that U.S. colleges and universities are only graduating about 9,000 computer science students a year, and Santa Tracking efforts are one way to inspire more young people to answer the call for careers in technology fields. References External links * Information in 2005 on NASA and Other Santa Tracking Sites (English) Category:NORAD Tracks Santa Wiki